


laundry

by Rawritsamehh



Category: Phandom/The Fantastic Foursome (YouTube RPF)
Genre: 2010, Comfort, Feels, Fluff, M/M, the laundry story
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-03-10
Updated: 2021-03-10
Packaged: 2021-03-17 09:08:40
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 755
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29964105
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Rawritsamehh/pseuds/Rawritsamehh
Summary: it’s 2010, university is in full swing and Dan is learning his place on life.
Relationships: Dan Howell/Phil Lester
Comments: 11
Kudos: 90





	laundry

Dan is tired. 

The sky is dark– although he isn’t sure of how late it truly is– and the cab driver is blissfully quiet. He has his damp luggage by his feet. His phone, dead, was left behind so he had no way to warn Phil but...Dan is tired. 

Living on his own has been so much more daunting than he  _ ever _ expected, and it’s only been a few weeks. He cried while trying to buy groceries last week, burnt pasta two days ago, and he’s already gone to Phil’s for refuge more than they had planned. Well, more than Phil had planned. Dan would never leave his flat if it were up to him, but Phil insisted that spending time in his dorm room would be  _ ‘good for him’  _ or something. 

So far it seems to only be good at showing Dan just how incompetent and shit he is. 

It feels like a walk of shame, the walk from the cab to the front doors. Not that he’s ever done a walk of shame really, but he imagines it won’t be long before Phil gets tired of his shit and he’ll learn all about it. At least he’s already used to the feeling of shame. 

———

He hesitates as he reaches Phil’s door. It’s rare that he has to knock, but he doesn’t quite feel like he’s able to just...walk in unannounced, either. Truth be told, he doesn’t even know if Phil is awake or not. He’s still unsure of the time. 

With a deep breath and tears fighting to form in his eyes, Dan knocks. Gently for the first, a pause, and a bit heavier with the following two before dropping his hand to fiddle with the sleeve of his jumper. Part of him kind of wishes Phil won’t answer. 

Dan’s wondering if he can even afford the cab back to his room (probably not, the ride here was already pushing it) when he hears a faint thud from inside the flat. 

“Wha- Dan?” Phil stammers, messy hair and shirt askew, clearly having just woken up. 

“Hey.” Dan says sheepishly. 

“What are…what time is it?” He looks down, noticing Dan’s luggage. “Wait what happened? Are you okay?”

“Yeah, no I’m fine- ”

“Are you moving in?” 

“What? No, I just...I don’t know. It’s been- ”

Phil cuts Dan off mid sentence by wrapping him up in his arms. Dan may be taller, but somehow Phil has mastered how to make him feel so small and precious. And that’s exactly what he needed– the overwhelming warmth of Phil. 

The tears are flowing freely before Dan even notices that he’s crying. 

“Hey let’s get inside, yeah?” Phil says as he pulls away, grabbing the luggage. Dan just nods and follows. 

———

There’s a warm mug of tea in his hands, tea that he knows Phil rarely drinks. It’s typically reserved for really stressful days, or when he needs that specific type of comfort– no doubt a habit he picked up from Kath. 

He can hear the sounds of the washing machine going. Somehow he was able to untangle himself from Phil just long enough to explain what was going on, why he was at his doorstep at 3:17am with a wet suitcase, himself looking like some form of half-dead woodland creature. 

The rest was a blur. He doesn’t remember sitting down, or Phil putting the kettle on. He doesn’t remember when Phil began the washing. There’s a blanket across his lap, one that's become his favorite; he wants to take it back to his room with him eventually, so he has a bit of Phil when the loneliness sets in, but he also doesn’t want to settle into his dorm more than he has to. 

Dan opens his eyes, not realizing they were even closed, and gazes out the window where the faint tendrils of orange and pink were beginning to show. He’s not sure how much time has passed. 

The sofa dips beside him before he even notices Phil. 

“Do you want to talk about it?” He asks. 

Dan hesitates. “I don’t know.” 

Phil pulls him in, tucking Dan beneath his arm. “It’s alright. You don’t have to.” 

“I love you.” Dan says, sleepily. He can tell he’s not far from passing out. 

“I love you.” Phil presses a kiss to his head. “I’ve got you, get some rest.” 

Dan wraps an arm around him, snuggling in close. Everything else may suck right now but...he has Phil, and that’s enough for him. 

  
  



End file.
